1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,830 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello, and thank you for listening to your 2 00:00:13,870 --> 00:00:17,530 Speaker 1: daily Bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each 3 00:00:17,590 --> 00:00:19,830 Speaker 1: day to help us learn more about God and His 4 00:00:19,870 --> 00:00:23,460 Speaker 1: will for us. I'm your host, Shaka Hines, and today 5 00:00:23,820 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: we're continuing our Joshua series titled, Trusting God One Step 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: at a Time. After this short word from our sponsor, 7 00:00:30,780 --> 00:00:37,190 Speaker 1: we'll dive into today's Bible verse in Joshua 5, verse 2. 8 00:00:46,810 --> 00:00:51,170 Speaker 1: Today's Bible verse is Joshua 5, 2. At that time, 9 00:00:51,390 --> 00:00:55,890 Speaker 1: the Lord said to Joshua, make flint knives and circumcise 10 00:00:55,970 --> 00:01:00,020 Speaker 1: the Israelites again. So the scripture begins with at that time. 11 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:02,300 Speaker 1: So I want to give some background to bring us 12 00:01:02,380 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: to this moment. Moses died as did all those 20 13 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: years and older who were counted after the rebellion in 14 00:01:09,300 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 1: the wilderness following the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. 15 00:01:13,610 --> 00:01:16,790 Speaker 1: So after wandering the desert for 40 years because of 16 00:01:16,830 --> 00:01:20,670 Speaker 1: their disobedience to God, Joshua and Caleb are the only 17 00:01:20,910 --> 00:01:25,390 Speaker 1: ones from that older generation still alive. God places the 18 00:01:25,490 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: mantle of leadership on Joshua and He wants Joshua to 19 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,500 Speaker 1: take his people into the land promised to Abraham by 20 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: divine covenant in Genesis 15. So in Joshua 3, God 21 00:01:37,620 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: lists the nations Joshua and the Israelites are to begin 22 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:46,950 Speaker 1: conquering west of the Jordan River. The Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, 23 00:01:47,150 --> 00:01:51,750 Speaker 1: and the Jebusites. God then begins to exalt Joshua before 24 00:01:51,790 --> 00:01:55,410 Speaker 1: the people by drying up the Jordan River so Israel 25 00:01:55,450 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: could cross on dry land. Does that sound familiar? So 26 00:01:59,780 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: because of this miraculous arrival of the Israelites on their shore, 27 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: Joshua 5.1 says that the states, that the hearts of 28 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: the Amorite and Canaanite kings west of the Jordan melted 29 00:02:12,780 --> 00:02:17,180 Speaker 1: in fear. They've no longer had any courage. So at 30 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:21,190 Speaker 1: that time, the Lord said to Joshua, sharpen your weapons, 31 00:02:21,750 --> 00:02:24,650 Speaker 1: see to your defenses and get a good night's sleep 32 00:02:24,690 --> 00:02:32,910 Speaker 1: to prepare for battle. No, God didn't say that. In 33 00:02:32,930 --> 00:02:36,530 Speaker 1: the eyes of a practical military commander, those steps and 34 00:02:36,590 --> 00:02:40,510 Speaker 1: more would seem like a sound strategy to assure victory. 35 00:02:41,070 --> 00:02:45,190 Speaker 1: But instead, Yahweh, this God's personal name given to Moses, 36 00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: he says, Hebrew circumcision involves the cutting off of the 37 00:02:54,340 --> 00:02:59,130 Speaker 1: foreskin on a man's penis. Ouch. Not only does God 38 00:02:59,590 --> 00:03:02,410 Speaker 1: not instruct the Israelites to prepare to advance in a 39 00:03:02,450 --> 00:03:07,030 Speaker 1: way that aligns with modern or even ancient military tactics, 40 00:03:07,710 --> 00:03:11,670 Speaker 1: but he tells them to spend time making flint knives 41 00:03:12,050 --> 00:03:16,780 Speaker 1: and incapacitating all the eligible males, including the military men, 42 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: for however long it takes to heal. And they don't 43 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: even have the Jordan River between them and their enemies 44 00:03:23,139 --> 00:03:29,810 Speaker 1: for safety. God's preparation before advancing often looks nothing like 45 00:03:29,850 --> 00:03:33,730 Speaker 1: the ways we might prepare. In Genesis, God made a 46 00:03:33,790 --> 00:03:36,950 Speaker 1: covenant promise to Abraham. He would be the father of 47 00:03:36,990 --> 00:03:40,510 Speaker 1: many nations. Kings would come from him, and his descendants 48 00:03:40,550 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: would inherit the land God promised to give them. The 49 00:03:44,070 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: sign for Abraham was the adoption of circumcision— a practice 50 00:03:48,260 --> 00:03:50,540 Speaker 1: that was followed by other people groups that were in 51 00:03:50,580 --> 00:03:54,980 Speaker 1: the area. For Abraham and his descendants, God instructed him 52 00:03:55,020 --> 00:03:57,930 Speaker 1: to perform the rite of circumcision on the eighth day 53 00:03:58,110 --> 00:04:02,310 Speaker 1: after a male child was born. And anyone who failed 54 00:04:02,350 --> 00:04:06,010 Speaker 1: to be circumcised was cut off from God's people. And 55 00:04:06,310 --> 00:04:10,220 Speaker 1: this cutting of the foreskin, it can be seen as 56 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,860 Speaker 1: deeply symbolic of a cutting off of the flesh of 57 00:04:14,380 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: The reliance on the flesh, like this sense of humanity's 58 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,420 Speaker 1: sinful propensity to live according to their own desires and 59 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:27,460 Speaker 1: this yielding to God's purposes and desires. So now we 60 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,310 Speaker 1: come back to the Israelites on the western shore of 61 00:04:30,350 --> 00:04:34,659 Speaker 1: the Jordan River. In verses 4 through 7 of Joshua 5, 62 00:04:34,650 --> 00:04:38,310 Speaker 1: the text tells us that the Israelites who were born 63 00:04:38,529 --> 00:04:43,170 Speaker 1: after the Exodus had not been circumcised. as prescribed by 64 00:04:43,230 --> 00:04:47,710 Speaker 1: God in Genesis. Remember, to be uncircumcised is to be 65 00:04:47,770 --> 00:04:52,050 Speaker 1: cut off from God's people. So God commands Joshua to 66 00:04:52,110 --> 00:04:57,210 Speaker 1: make flint knives and to circumcise the Israelites and return them, 67 00:04:57,650 --> 00:05:02,770 Speaker 1: as theologian Merrill Unger says, to their former condition as 68 00:05:02,830 --> 00:05:07,179 Speaker 1: a circumcised nation, you know, in covenant relationship with God. 69 00:05:07,790 --> 00:05:11,500 Speaker 1: According to Joshua 5, 9, the Israelites needed to remove 70 00:05:11,570 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: the shame and disgrace of Egypt by obeying God and 71 00:05:15,380 --> 00:05:19,860 Speaker 1: being circumcised. So therefore, the first act of preparation for 72 00:05:19,900 --> 00:05:23,180 Speaker 1: the advancement of God's purpose with his people to give 73 00:05:23,220 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: them the promised land began with his people removing the 74 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:32,290 Speaker 1: reproach of Egypt by enduring the bloody rite of circumcision. Now, 75 00:05:33,220 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: What may not make sense to us in our modern 76 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:40,820 Speaker 1: understanding of preparing for what came next made perfect sense 77 00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:46,030 Speaker 1: to God. Before advancing, God's people prepared themselves by cutting 78 00:05:46,130 --> 00:05:50,030 Speaker 1: off the flesh and obeying God. Under the new covenant, 79 00:05:50,630 --> 00:05:53,789 Speaker 1: Jesus has shed his blood for us, and circumcision of 80 00:05:53,830 --> 00:05:57,180 Speaker 1: the flesh is no longer required to enter into a 81 00:05:57,220 --> 00:06:02,140 Speaker 1: covenantal relationship with God, but it is still true that 82 00:06:02,790 --> 00:06:05,690 Speaker 1: Our idea of preparing for what comes next in life 83 00:06:06,029 --> 00:06:10,620 Speaker 1: often looks completely different from how God needs to prepare us, 84 00:06:11,020 --> 00:06:16,460 Speaker 1: because God wants whatever comes next to advance our relationship 85 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:20,979 Speaker 1: with Him. Please hear that. God wants whatever comes next 86 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:27,260 Speaker 1: to advance our relationship with Him. How might understanding this 87 00:06:27,460 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: idea change how you face hardship or sacrifice or even 88 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: the things God's calling you to that just don't make sense. Also, 89 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,290 Speaker 1: could you ask yourself, is there anything God might be 90 00:06:40,460 --> 00:06:44,890 Speaker 1: asking you to cut off or reassess in preparation for 91 00:06:44,930 --> 00:06:48,130 Speaker 1: the next thing he has planned for you? It could 92 00:06:48,170 --> 00:06:52,110 Speaker 1: be a detrimental relationship or a bad habit or even 93 00:06:52,130 --> 00:06:56,500 Speaker 1: a packed schedule. God prepared the people by having them 94 00:06:56,620 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: in a very literal sense cut off the offense. And 95 00:07:00,700 --> 00:07:03,650 Speaker 1: as Joshua continues, We'll have the chance to see how 96 00:07:03,730 --> 00:07:08,650 Speaker 1: God often used the Israelites' obedience to his plans, plans 97 00:07:08,690 --> 00:07:14,380 Speaker 1: that they didn't always understand, to advance the Israelites to 98 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:19,180 Speaker 1: incredible victories. And if we're willing to obey him, even 99 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,620 Speaker 1: when we don't understand, he can do the same thing 100 00:07:22,820 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: in our lives. Let's pray. God, thank you so much 101 00:07:27,860 --> 00:07:31,830 Speaker 1: that you're the one in control. And we may not 102 00:07:32,090 --> 00:07:36,370 Speaker 1: always understand your plans. I can say that I, a 103 00:07:36,430 --> 00:07:41,050 Speaker 1: lot of times, don't understand your plans. But God, we 104 00:07:41,090 --> 00:07:45,510 Speaker 1: can understand that you're working for our good. Everything you 105 00:07:45,630 --> 00:07:50,630 Speaker 1: do on our behalf is to advance our relationship with you. 106 00:07:51,710 --> 00:07:55,310 Speaker 1: So Father, I pray that our obedience would be as 107 00:07:55,450 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: radical as that of the Israelites on the shore of 108 00:07:59,580 --> 00:08:04,820 Speaker 1: the Jordan. that we would listen to you because you 109 00:08:04,940 --> 00:08:09,830 Speaker 1: have great victory in store for your people. We love you, 110 00:08:09,890 --> 00:08:14,330 Speaker 1: Lord God, and we pray these things in Jesus's name. Amen.